What does parquet mean?
Parquet denotes a decorative hard-wood flooring made from small pieces of wood fitted together in geometric or mosaic patterns. Individual pieces are often called parquets, while the collective flooring may also be called parquet or parquet flooring. The material is valued for the varied grain of the wood and the craftsmanship involved in arranging the pieces, and it has long been associated with formal reception rooms, historic buildings, and high-quality domestic interiors. Modern parquet floors may use solid timber, engineered wood, or reclaimed wood, but the traditional meaning remains closely tied to pieces fitted together to create an ornamental pattern. Parquet should not be confused with parquetry: the former names the floor or its pieces, while the latter denotes the work or process of making such flooring.
A floor or flooring made from small pieces of hard wood arranged in a decorative geometric pattern; also an individual piece of such flooring.
"The old parquet had been carefully repaired beneath the carpets."
When referring to the flooring as a whole, the mass noun parquet is normally used rather than a plural.
To fit or cover a floor with parquet flooring.
"The craftsmen parqueted the reception room over the course of three days."
The inflected forms are parqueted and parquetting, with parqueting also used in American English.
Made of or covered with parquet.
"They chose a parquet surface for the small dining area."
This use is established but less common than the noun and the attributive phrase parquet floor.
Used for individual wooden pieces or sections of parquet flooring; the complete flooring is generally treated as a mass noun.
"The installers replaced several damaged parquets in the entrance hall."
Parquet comes from a French word meaning “parked,” referring to pieces of wood set in place to form a patterned floor.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does parquet come from?
The word comes from French parquet, the feminine past participle of parquer, meaning to fit or cover with decorative woodwork. French parquer developed from percher, meaning to perch or place, and has relatives including English perch and park. The French noun parterre, referring to a level garden area, also reflects the same verbal ancestry.
Related word forms
How parquet is actually used
The word is most common in interior design, construction, and the description of period interiors. In British English, it is particularly associated with traditional wood-flooring terminology.
Easily confused with parquet
Parquet is the flooring or its individual wooden pieces, whereas parquetry refers to the decorative work or craft of making parquet floors.